New
by Refracted Imagination
Summary: Post ROTF: Short insights on how the new arrivals adjust to their new home. Sequel to “Reunion”, selected characters only.
1. Day

Author's Notes: This has probably been done to death, but I'm trying it in a slightly different format.

Two fics at the same time... I think I'm biting off more than I can chew. Nevertheless, I shall persevere.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**New**

Chapter 1

[Prowl]

Having been looked over by Ratchet after the medic was finished with Bluestreak, it came as quite a surprise to a few that the SIC did not go straight to Optimus's office to be debriefed and request to start work. In fact, they did not see him for the rest of the day. Only at nightfall did he show up to join the others in scanning for their alt modes. Those who knew about him and the first lieutenant realised with little to no wonder that Jazz was missing together with him as well.

The humans had tagged along with them to see how the scanning and transformation process took place, and Prowl tilted his head slightly in puzzlement as the boy named Samuel James Witwicky ("Just call me Sam. Please.") shivered a little when he took the form of a police cruiser.

* * *

[Wheeljack]

Earth was so much different from Cybertron, besides the obvious fact that it was an organic world instead of a metallic one. Everything was so new and alien, there was so much to explore and discover. As the group toured their surroundings and the base of operations, hundreds of ideas and inventions were already being processed in his CPU.

For some reason, Wheeljack found himself being escorted all over the place by the humans (they insisted on that term rather than the more scientific one), who seemed fairly wary of him and kept a safe distance but were still friendly and open. They led him everywhere, to his interest and slight puzzlement over the fact that not many of the others were receiving this treatment. That kept him busy most of the day, so to his disappointment, he didn't get a chance to settle into the makeshift laboratory constructed for the Autobot scientists.

* * *

[Sunstreaker]

Spending most of the first day in the Hatchet's medbay receiving "tender" care and repairs was not Sunstreaker's idea of the best way to be welcomed into their new home, but Sideswipe had been allowed to stay with him the whole time. With his brother watching him intently and fondly from the berth next to his, the warrior couldn't do much but lie down obediently and let the medic work on his damaged frame.

Besides, if he hadn't been in proper shape, he wouldn't have been able to scan and take the form of the sweet looking yellowish-gold Lamborghini that sped by as the group searched for their alt modes. He noticed how his twin seemed to be eying the red one that followed…

* * *

[Hound]

It was in the middle of the night, more specifically very, very early in the morning, but even then the sights were absolutely beautiful. The land was bathed in soft moonlight, clear dark skies revealed glittering stars and there was a blanket of calm all around. His audios picked up the soft voices of the nocturnal creatures, their songs and calls blending together into one melodious symphony. Standing at the highest point of the lookout, he relished in the peace and tranquil as a cool breeze swept by.

Earth was so full of life and vitality. There was so much to explore, so much to see and so much to experience. Hound knew he had picked the right alt mode when Leo let out a whistle and commented on how the off-roader was perfect for gallivanting in the wild.

* * *

[Mirage]

As Hound admired the natural world that surrounded them at the lookout, he made sure that the spy had a fair share of the view as well. Mirage stood next to him, watching silently.

Earth was to be their new home, but it wasn't the same as Cybertron. Nothing could ever replace their dying home. He did not understand how Hound could take to the organic planet so quickly. It was not as easy for him to see what he saw, to appreciate this world for what it is. He felt stranded, alone…

His companion must have sensed his thoughts and feelings, for he felt a gentle hand slip into his and squeeze lightly. Turning to face Hound, the scout only smiled and shifted closer, their shoulders and arms touching. Mirage leaned against the provided support and softly thanked him.

* * *

[Bluestreak]

The medbay had been rather empty when he and Prowl reported for Ratchet's check-up. The others were busy doing… well, they were getting acquainted with their new surroundings, to say the least. He would have plenty of time for that later, he wanted to know the natives (Prime called them humans, but Wheeljack mentioned that the term was homo-sapiens… he would have to check with Prowl about it) a little better first.

They all seemed really friendly, and there was even a youngling around! The military soldiers had talked to him, introduced themselves, asked him about himself and offered him a tour around the base. Bluestreak had been delighted at the invitation, and as they walked around he shared many stories of his own. He took their increasing lengths of silence as his cue to keep sharing, because it seemed like they were really eager to listen to him.

* * *

[Blurr]

No one had been able to get a hold of him once he stepped out of the Ark. The speedster, excited by the wide and open area they were in, took off the second he felt the rough and grassy ground under his feet. It felt exhilarating to just let loose and run as fast as he could without anyone or anything stopping him. There were shouts for him to return and not to wander off too far, but he ignored them all.

In the end, Optimus had let him run as much as he pleased, but under the condition that at sunset he reported back to base for a quick check-up before they set off to get the new arrivals their new alt modes. Blurr had replied with a quick nod before speeding off again.

His comrades could only watch on, most of them smiling faintly and shaking their heads. He did not envy them one bit.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: I hope this wasn't too badly done. Let me know what you think.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	2. Week

Author's Notes: By now I should've learnt that when it comes to this level of schooling, there's no such thing as holidays. My one week break's as good as going back to school. *sigh*

Many thanks to **1Timberwolf** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**New**

Chapter 2

[Prowl]

He swore it was a plot, a conspiracy against him. It was not the first time they had ganged up to make him crash, but here on Earth the frequency of such "harmless fun" was on an all-time high.

From illogical human sayings and idioms to their strange beliefs and superstition, Jazz and Sideswipe, together with the recruited Mudflap and Skids, found no end to the number of ways they could find to make their SIC's logic centre lock up. Of course, they had to deal with a very unhappy CMO after such episodes, but the fun derived outweighed such consequences.

After the fourth lockup of the day (which made it the twenty-third in the week), Prowl and Ratchet finally snapped and a very startled Optimus found four of his soldiers bound, gagged and hanging by their feet from the rafters above the recreational room.

* * *

[Wheeljack]

As much as they had cooperated with the humans and tried to distract Wheeljack from entering the laboratory, it was inevitable that sooner or later, he would have to go in and that an explosion would probably occur eventually. Most of them had thought Wheeljack would blow something up within the first hour of stepping into the base, but thanks to the briefing regarding several of the more prominent members of the Autobot forces, Lennox and Epps had taken measures to ensure that their base stay intact for as long as possible.

The record was an incredible four days. After that, the N.E.S.T. team ran out of ideas, and the laboratory was engulfed in black smoke, accompanied with a loud explosion that rocked the base and spilled coffee onto the visiting Galloway.

Needless to say, he was not pleased.

* * *

[Sunstreaker]

Most of the humans thought that the yellow twin would be just like his brother, and that N.E.S.T. would end up with a pair of arrogant and violent (of course they didn't verbally express this opinion) brothers. They were half right.

Sunstreaker was glaring and scowling at almost everybody 24/7. Sideswipe, on the other hand, to the astonishment of many on base, seemed to have done a complete turnabout. His personality became lighter, his sense of humour seemed to be restored and to the amusement ("Not for long," muttered Ratchet) and horror of many, the pranking season returned.

There was also the incident where the coffee-soaked Galloway bumped into Sunstreaker when he was storming out of the meeting room. The loud growl and intense glare coupled with the menacing step in his direction was enough to make him beat the world record for the 200m sprint out of the hanger. The warrior earned the respect of no few humans after that.

* * *

[Hound]

The first impression the humans received of Hound was that the scout was a very dedicated and hardworking soldier. He did his duties faithfully and eagerly, especially if it involved going out into the wild and crossing rougher terrains, and would return from patrol far later than his reporting time, covered in dirt and mud, but still smiling brightly.

Most of them had thought that his overtime patrol was due to his added efforts to do a few more rounds before heading back to base. Those who had listened to him as he excitedly shared the experiences from the explorations and nature walks after patrols knew the actual reason.

Mirage would flat-out deny him access into their quarters until he paid a visit to the wash-racks, but Hound was always more than happy to oblige.

* * *

[Mirage]

First, there was the eerie feeling that you were being watched, but seeing no one around. Then the bumps into an invisible wall while walking through the corridors. No one got injured, at most they merely made haste and walked at a much quicker pace to reach their destination.

It turned out that Mirage had some trouble fitting in and preferred to stay out of sight. He did his duties accordingly, but other than that he did not socialise much. Some suspected that he would spend his free time stalking the corridors to observe how things ran on Earth, thus the numerous ghostly incidents.

After several soldiers had reported the matter to Lennox, with a handful close to needing counselling, Ratchet had Mirage deactivate his cloaking device with instructions to use it only when necessary.

* * *

[Bluestreak]

Lennox would not complain about Annabelle being overly curious and asking too many questions ever again. The grey gunner gave the description "talkative" an entirely new meaning. Sure, he was friendly, he was not speaking ill of anyone, he was not spreading gossip or anything, but after a while it became harder and harder to pay attention.

Bluestreak would talk about anything and everything under the sun, and the topic of discussion could change as quickly as Blurr could sprint. Prowl, Sunstreaker (to many humans' surprise) and Sideswipe seemed to be the only ones who could actually listen to him patiently and earnestly, and the respect they gave him made the humans feel obliged to give him a chance.

The Major did a double-take one morning when he found his daughter and the gunner chatting amiably away in the rec. room.

* * *

[Blurr]

It quickly became apparent why the mech's name when translated from Cybertronian to English was "Blurr". In fact, the evidence was literal. The humans had a frustrating time in understanding what the speedster was saying when he actually _stopped_ to talk to them. His words blended out in a stream of incoherent noise, leaving the attempting-to-listen soldiers gaping, confused and wide-eyed in a _What-the-heck-did-he-just-say? _manner.

He seemed to be on the move constantly, always rushing about here and there. Fast. For a being so much larger, the mech sure could move quickly. The reworked shift schedule to accommodate the new arrivals was still in progress (Prowl seemed to be spending lots of time in Ratchet's territory), so other than a few minor missions and light duties, the Ark crew had plenty of time on their hands. Unfortunately, this was useless in explaining why Blurr always appeared to be in a hurry.

For the safety of the humans, a separate lane had been marked out along the corridors.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: Right. As stated, updates will be slow. I'm sorry. And I could also use some suggestions for Blue and Blurr. If you have any ideas you would like to share, feel free to do so via reviews or simply send me a PM. All are greatly appreciated.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


	3. Month

Author's Notes: Terribly sorry for the long wait. School is really hectic, what with the assignments, projects, assessments and all…

Many thanks to **1Timberwolf** and **Starfire201** for reviewing, and to all those who have added this story to your Favourites and Alerts! Hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter.

I do not own Transformers.

* * *

**New**

Chapter 3

[Prowl]

Grudgingly, Galloway had to admit that Prowl did a good job in upping and maintaining the level of discipline of the N.E.S.T. members. After reviewing the inner workings of the base, the SIC had introduced a few more protocols to further improve the standard of operations ("A few?! Have you seen the list lately?! The number of rules has practically tripled!" screeched Sideswipe).

Of course, knowing the Ark crew (more notably a certain pair of twins or two), not everything ran smoothly even with the implementation of the additional rules. Pranks were still played, random explosions still occurred, and Ratchet was still (and forever always) the Hatchet.

Sam and Leo had the epiphany of Prowl and his police cruiser alt mode as they drove back in Bumblebee one night. While Leo dubbed him the "cop-bot" and joked about how much of a stickler to the rules he was, Sam was suddenly overcome with a strange sense of peacefulness with the firm belief that the Autobot SIC was nothing like the Decepticon that attacked him the day he met his guardian.

From then on, it was a whole lot easier to talk to him too.

* * *

[Wheeljack]

Ratchet cursed colourfully as the inventor peeked over the debris of the smoking laboratory, smiling sheepishly and waving _half _an arm. He flinched and yelped in surprise and pain as the medic stomped over, yanked him up by his other arm and proceeded to drag him across the room, out into the hallways and towards the medbay, receiving numerous amused stares as they made their way there.

This made the tenth failed experiment in the month so far, but the inventor was undaunted and instead spurred further to keep trying new ideas. It was not all failures though. Some of his works had their merit.

The Autobots were not inclined to share their weapons technology with the humans, but there was some space for Wheeljack to improve their weapons against the Decepticons. Battles did not produce as many casualties as they used to, and for that, it was the least the humans could do to accept the occasional explosions with an exasperated sigh and defeated shrug of the shoulders.

* * *

[Sunstreaker]

When asked about his twin's behaviour, Sideswipe would cheerfully reply that it was normal for him to act like how he presently was, even around him. Several others began to theorise another reason after closely observing the yellow Lamborghini during his patrols.

From his not-so-subtle grumbles and frequent trips to the wash racks, it was concluded that the mech had a vain streak. Earth had been labelled the "mud-ball", and Sunstreaker would not even permit anyone to ride in him, claiming the "organic fluids" that the humans secreted would leave a stench and stain his seats.

It was quite understandable actually. With a nice, flashy alt mode, one would do one's best to keep it looking good and spotless. The only thing was that Sunstreaker took that concept to a much more extreme level. A single scratch or a patch of stain on his finish, no matter how small, would send him back to his quarters for a repaint. This didn't stop Sideswipe from playing messy and dirty pranks on him though. The consequent "brotherly tussle" would seem more like an all-out death match.

* * *

[Hound]

Diego Garcia was a nice little island with lots of space for the N.E.S.T. base of operations. Together with the training grounds, the base itself was quite large, but there was plenty of room for Hound to reserve a small spot for his own activities. During his off-shift periods, if Mirage was busy with his own duties, the scout would go off to that little place of his to occupy himself.

The vegetation was sparse in that area, and Hound had made it his job to restore the flora. From transplanting young plants from the more densely forested areas to starting from scratch and digging holes to place seeds, Hound was determined to make his garden flourish.

Over the course of the week, his efforts were rewarded very beautifully with a welcoming, flourishing patch of lush green trees. The newly-planted seeds would take a longer time to grow, but Hound could already picture the colourful flowers blooming and adding more life and vitality to the special place that would belong only to him and Mirage.

* * *

[Mirage]

It took time, but that was probably just what Mirage needed, Optimus mused. Time to get used to the new surroundings, their new alliance with the humans, and their new home. Rather than wallow in the unfamiliarity of it all, he had chosen to adapt, like the many others who had slowly learnt to adjust to the new circumstances.

Of course, progress did not happen overnight. It started with joining his comrades in the recreational room during his off-shift periods, though often accompanied by Hound. From there came the conversations with the soldiers, and at times with a visiting Annabelle, little story sessions. The child was fascinated with tales of Cybertron, of the crystal gardens and the parallels in their society to their own. Sharing snippets of the times of peace strangely had a somewhat soothing effect, very unlike the bitter angst that he had expected.

Mirage had been rather surprised at the little place Hound had taken him to, but at the expectant look on the scout's face, he could not help but admit he had done a good job. As the two gazed at the night sky under a tree, the spy thought that Earth wasn't as bad as he first thought it was, not when they were surrounded by the beautiful garden of dancing trees and blossoming flowers, and especially not when he had Hound by his side.

* * *

[Bluestreak]

To give Sarah her much earned and needed break from watching their child 24/7, Lennox had often brought the excited girl over to the N.E.S.T. base to visit the Autobots. They would take turns to play with and entertain her during their free time, and Epps had joked about how she had them all wrapped around her little fingers, Ironhide in particular (said Weapons Specialist had sent him an intense death glare for the comment amidst the sniggers that followed).

It became clear very quickly who Annabelle's favourite baby sitter was. Bluestreak would be seen with her most often, the two never running out of things to chat about. They could and would spend hours in the rec. room just talking, and the hours would fly by until Lennox came to retrieve his daughter.

There were also times when (with Ironhide's and Lennox's permission) they would go down to the shooting range where Annabelle would watch in awe as the gunner took down targets with his well-known speed and accuracy. As curious as Bluestreak was to her ability, he had enough sense to gently turn her down when she asked for a shot or two at the drones.

* * *

[Blurr]

It turned out that the speedster was a messenger as well as an intelligence agent back on Cybertron. This newfound knowledge served as a revelation to many as to why the mech moved and talked like he did, but was still no help in figuring out how to deal with it.

The other Autobots had long grown accustomed to his behaviour. The humans, however, were not too comfortable, but they hesitated in asking him to slow down. It felt wrong to hold him back when speed just seemed to define him, and they respected him enough to try their best when he interacted and worked with them.

Of course, any nearby Autobot would willingly summarise Blurr's words and "translate" them for the humans, but they were determined to understand him themselves. From such determination came the strategy of "timed-attention", of which each person would listen to only _a few_ _seconds_ of Blurr talking and the next person would take over while the previous one tuned everything else out to decipher his portion. Afterwards they would come together and piece the snippets of information together to understand what he was saying.

It was an absolute mess the first time they had tried, and it took a few weeks, but continuous practice made conversing with him less taxing and a little more enjoyable. Blurr seemed to have fun as well. His optics would flash with amusement and patience as they made out his words, and with pride and gratitude when they were successful.

* * *

Author's Notes 2: The next chapter should be the last.

Reviews and/or criticisms (preferably constructive ones) are welcome. Thank you.

Refracted Imagination, logging off.


End file.
